Portable information apparatuses designed to be light-weight and compact for the sake of portability frequently have limited features. For example, some notebook type personal computers (laptop PCs) limit their features in order to achieve reductions in weight and thickness. For such a laptop PC, a docking device can be utilized as a device for expanding features. The docking device can be connected through a connector to a laptop PC to expand the features of the laptop PC.
A docking device may include engaging members with hook portions that can engage with and disengage from an engaging hole of a portable information apparatus. The docking device has a locking member, which restricts the retracting movement of the engaging member in the direction of disengagement, thereby preventing an accidental release of an engagement state of the engaging members.
The locking member can slide in a device chassis of the docking device and comes in contact with the lower portions of the engaging members spaced away from the hook portions. Therefore, if a portable information apparatus having the engaging members engaged with the engaging hole is lifted with a considerable force from an apparatus mounting section while the engaging members are in engagement with the engaging hole, then the engaging members may pivot in the direction of disengagement, the portion in contact with the locking member being the pivot point, causing a rattle. In particular, as described above, there has been a marked trend of making the chassis of portable information apparatuses thinner and smaller in recent years, thus making it difficult to secure a space in the chassis for deeply inserting the hook portions of the engaging members into the engaging hole to establish engagement therebetween. For this reason, there has been a concern that, if the engaging members are forcibly pivoted in the direction of disengagement, the engagement of the hook portions with the engaging hole will be forcibly released in a thin portable information apparatus.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved docking device capable of firmly coupling to a portable information apparatus.